Origins

When the Magus and his empire were opposed by the Adam Warlock of their timeline via a temporal paradox, the Magus saturated him with harmless radiation to attract the In-Betweener, agent of Chaos and Order. Warlock was then transported by the In-Betweener to a realm outside space and time where Chaos and Order educated him in their ways, ultimately driving him into madness and turning him into the Magus. After somehow arriving five thousand years in the past on an unidentified planet, the Magus conquered its natives and founded the Universal Church of Truth, which he expanded into an intergalactic empire through holy war.[5]

Encounter with Adam Warlock

Four years prior to the day his past self would become him, the Magus started to (re)create every group of the Universal Church of Truth he remembered having faced as Adam Warlock, and gave up physical control of the empire to the Matriarch in order to assure his future would come to pass.[5]

From behind the scenes, he guided Adam Warlock towards his destiny; however, the interference of Thanos, who had learned of this plot by traveling to the future, led Warlock to destroy the karmic path that would have led to the Magus' creation, thus wiping the Magus from existence,[6] and diverging his reality from Earth-616 into Earth-7528,[4] which was then rendered inert.[7]

In consequence of a spell Warlock had to cast to save his universe, elements of Earth-7528 manifested in Earth-616 long before the spell had been cast,[7] and thus the Magus was reborn from the evil half of Adam Warlock's soul, which Warlock had subconsciously purged from himself (along with its good half) after gaining virtual omnipotence through the Infinity Gauntlet to become a logical god.[8]

Reincorporating at the Crossroads, the Magus explored the strange realities which materialized after his resurrection and acquired five Cosmic Containment Units from five of these realities to use in his ultimate plan: to merge Earth-616 with another reality to create a reality under his control.[9] Afterwards, the Magus set up a fortress in a barren region he found far down the dimensional corridor,[8] and convinced Anthropomorpho to grant him access to the Manifestations to create a shade for every hero on Earth for his army.[8][10] He then sicked these "shades" onto the people they were based on.[11]

Magus knocked over some chess piece heroes as he watched his "shade" versions of the heroes battle their counterparts. The "shade" Thanos warned Magus that these heroes were known for their tenacity. Magus then said he had foreseen every eventuality, prompting Shade Thanos to say that he didn't understand why Magus had the shades fight. Magus insulted his sidekick Thanos and sent out the Reed Richards' shade to defeat the original and take his place.[12]

Thanos tracked some mysterious energy readings and the Thanos doppelganger to a fortress in another dimension. There he encountered the Magus and was shocked to discover he had returned to existence. After a not-so-friendly tête-à-tête, Thanos was ready to battle the Magus and the doppelganger. However, the Magus revealed his army of doppelgangers and Thanos realized he was outmatched. The Magus used his technology to send Thanos back to his own dimension and erase all the information he had collected. Thanos went to get Warlock's help, which was exactly as the Magus planned.[11]

When ShadeThanos said he couldn't find any fault with Magus' plan, which prompted him to wonder if it would ensnare Magus' "other self," a furious Magus grabbed him by the neck and stated Warlock was his shade, not vice-versa. ShadeThanos agreed. Magus asked about the Galactus Contingent. When they found they were ahead of schedule, Magus decided it would be better to find a way to slow them up. Magus and ShadeThanos watched as Thanos went to the Realm of Death with Warlock and the Infinity Watch to consult the Infinity Well in order to learn how the Magus had returned and what he was up to. When Magus feels they have learned enough, he informs Death indirectly that they are in her palace. Magus watches as his Reed Richards' shade detonates a gamma bomb while the heroes are all gathered within the Fantastic Four's headquarters.[8]

Thor used his hammer's mystical powers to contain the blast. Then, Magus and ShadeThanos teleported into the Fantastic Four's base and took back the shades of Iron Man and Richards. Magus watched as the heroes found a red herring; coordinates he left for them because he wanted them to be there. Magus said that the gamma bomb was never meant to destroy the heroes, only to get them involved so that they can "muddy the waters"; The heroes were just pawns while Thanos and Warlock are the main pieces, Pip, Gamora, Galactus, and Eternity being useful secondary pieces. Magus planed to manipulate them all into getting what he wanted.[13]

With Galactus still running too far ahead of schedule, the Magus blew up his ship in order to slow him down. Magus said that despite all his power, he aspired to greater heights. Magus saw Thanos, Warlock, and the Infinity Watch arrive at a second destination point on time. Magus said that Warlock couldn't imagine what it's like to have a past that never was. To be denied all his yesterdays and tomorrows. Magus said that once he gained ultimate power, Thanos and Warlock would pay the most. ShadeThanos asked about Thanos' warnings against divinity. Magus said Thanos subconsciously felt unworthy of the power and that he had no such fatal flaw. He had already been worshiped as a god. Magus watched as the Living Tribunal arrived before the catatonic Eternity. Magus dispatched the other shades to Earth to fight the heroes who remained behind, and watched as the pawn heroes teleported right to where he wanted them: facing Thanos and the others. A misunderstanding results, as the Earth natives still distrust Thanos, with the concomitant battle ensuing. Magus said that nothing can stop him now.[14]

Magus admired Thanos' ability to bring out the extremes in those around him. ShadeThanos thought that he, like his counterpart, craved ultimate power. Magus noticed Gamora experiencing a vision where a gauntleted hand reached for Warlock.[15]

At some point, the Necromancer, the Doctor Strange of the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth who had left that planet years before and thus escaped its destruction, went to the true Earth in search of the true Doctor Strange. He found and killed a double of Doctor Strange loyal to the Magus. However, the Necromancer decided to offer his services to the Magus via a telepathic signal, and the Magus accepted his service.[16]

ShadeThanos told Magus a second time that he sensed something (Kang and Doom), but Magus said to forget it. Magus watched as Galactus came and teleported all the heroes aboard his ship. ShadeThanos warned Magus about underestimating Galactus' might. Magus said that Galactus was integral to his plan. Magus said he was about to lay claim to the Earth. Magus watched as Warlock reunited the Infinity Gauntlet. The Gauntlet didn't work because of the Living Tribunal's verdict earlier that they could not again be used in unison. Galactus went to appeal to the Living Tribunal to allow for the Gauntlet working. The second Galactus was gone, Magus teleported in with ShadeThanos and grabbed Warlock, who was wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. Magus snatched the Gauntlet from Warlock and put it on. ShadeThanos pushed Warlock to the ground as Magus stood above him, now wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.[14]

Warlock mocked Magus for wanting a powerless gauntlet, but Magus said the power would be restored soon. Magus sent ShadeThanos out to greet Thanos as he teleported to Magus' base. Magus explained that Thanos was used to activate the secondary players; Galactus for his might and prestige; Earth's heroes to confuse everyone to the true goal; and Warlock to bring together the Gauntlet for him. Magus admired how even cosmic giants were his unknowing slaves. He told Warlock of the field that prevented Quasar from using the Ultimate Nullifier. As Magus watched the pending verdict on the Gauntlet, Kang and Doom decided to attack. Warlock decided to side with the devil he knew and fought with Magus against them. Kang shot Magus. Magus hit him and smashed his face into a screen. Magus got up and realized that the field that was blocking the Ultimate Nullifier was down. Kang shot Magus in the back. Now angered, Magus backhanded Kang. He hit Kang into the wall, and went to physically use the Cosmic Cubes to reinstate the shield. Doom defeated Warlock and Kang told Doom to go after Magus. Doom said he would, but since Kang was no longer of any use to him he blasted him. Magus was aghast to find that the Cosmic Cubes were missing, having been stolen by the Goddess, unknown to the Magus. Doom blasted Magus from behind. Gamora resuscitated Eternity making it possible for Eternity to overturn the Living Tribunal's verdict. Magus struggled to his knees. Doom demanded the Gauntlet, but before Magus handed it over, Eternity allowed the gems to work together. Magus stood triumphant. He dissolved Quasar and held the Ultimate Nullifier in his hands.[9]

Magus sat on his throne with Warlock on a cross as in Gamora's vision. In moments, Magus adjusted to godhood though the Reality Gem was a bit much to focus on. Magus said to Warlock, "Whoever fights monsters, Warlock, should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you. Nietzsche knew exactly what he was talking about."[17]

Magus emerged from one chamber to address the two Thanos as they battled. Magus invited the winner to join him within the chamber, and then placed a spell on the door to remain locked until one Thanos was dead. Magus watched from within the room and admired Thanos as a unique being - despite the fact that there were currently two of them. Magus believed his Thanos' augmented power would ensure the real Thanos' death. Then Magus would deal with his disloyal thrall. Magus said that two of anything was too much. Magus decided that soon his existence and that of his shades would take the place of the others.[18]

Magus stood victorious with the Infinity Gauntlet now functioning. As Invisible Woman freed the Magus' captives, including her husband, the Magus appeared as a giant face. Invisible Woman tried to attack it, but the Magus simply snapped his fingers and lined up all his opposition except Warlock, who remained on his cross, and Thanos, who emerged from his victory over ShadeThanos. Thanos stood in Magus' face, but Magus used his power to force Thanos to bow. Thanos told Magus that reality was not what Magus perceived. Magus' confidence was shaken and Thanos attacked. Magus started pummeling Thanos. Warlock grabbed the Infinity Gauntlet from behind and tried to wrest control of the gauntlet. The heroes were teleported onto Galactus' ship and taken home.

As Magus and Warlock struggled, Warlock broke off and power started to flow from his body. Warlock said that reality was shifting constantly. Warlock released a being half-Eternity, half-Infinity; Magus did not consider that a link existed between Eternity and Infinity and was defeated. Thanos told everyone that Magus' Infinity Gauntlet contained a phony Reality Gem. He never gained true omnipotence. Warlock lied comatose.

Magus sat in Soul World. He said that next time he would hold on tighter to the universe. Magus decided he would raise a psychic army to usurp Warlock's control of the Soul Gem. Magus tried to recruit Judge Kray-tor and Autolycus, but as they walked past right through him, he realized that in Soul World he was less than an entity because he was only a partial soul.[17]

The Magus was visited in the Soulworld by Adam Warlock, who needed information from the Magus to stop the Goddess, the embodiment of his good, feminine side.[19] The defeated Goddess was later sent to the Soulworld and came face to face with the Magus, who informed her that, as partial portions of a soul, they were only phantoms there. Goddess charged into Magus, but passed through him, making them realize they were ghosts even to themselves.[20]

Captain Marvel

Adam Warlock had been keeping the Magus contained within the Soul Gem through a significant amount of effort. A being known as Syphonn briefly usurped the Soul Gem, and although Adam soon regained it, the damage was done, and the Magus was out.[citation needed]

However, the Magus had been reduced to a shadow of his former self, and that was what had slipped free from the Soul Gem. His time spent in the Gem and with Syphonn had taught him about power, energy, and souls. He learned the art of taking ephemeral energy and converting it to the physical. He went to HalvaCenter, where he began absorbing the very essence of lives he needed to regain his full power. He knew it would take quite some time... and many, many victims. Dozens, perhaps hundreds...[citation needed]Captain Marvel traveled to HalvaCenter on planet Calculex to spend time with old friends just as the city was experiencing a rash of disappearances. He became involved in the investigation when he learned one of the victims was his old lover, Steck'ee. Meanwhile, the Magus lurked beneath the streets with Steck as his hostage.[citation needed]

The Magus revealed to Marvel that he was behind the disappearances and that he held Steck prisoner. Marvel discovered that the Magus had killed hundreds more than the 11 victims known to the authorities. The Magus was using the energy from these people to restore himself to full physical life. However, the process was taking too long, so he planned to absorb the cosmically powered Captain Marvel to instantly restore himself to full vitality. Marvel attacked him to no avail.[citation needed]

Magus and Marvel were at a stalemate. The situation was further complicated when Rick Jones needed to switch places with Marvel to save his wife Marlo. However, the Magus swore that if Genis left, he would kill Steck. He eventually offered Marvel a compromise. If he would sacrifice himself to the Magus, the Magus would leave Steck and the rest of HalvaCenter alone and annihilate the Skrulls instead. Marvel pretended to go along, but when the Magus tried to absorb him, he found that Marvel's cosmic awareness linked his soul to the universe itself. This power was far too much for the Magus to absorb. Marvel transformed him into photonic energy and blasted him many light-years away from HalvaCenter. Unknown to Genis, however, the Magus landed on an unnamed planet, fully reborn, crackling with energy and laughing hysterically like a good villain.[citation needed]

The Magus appeared in the present to Marlo Jones, wife of Rick Jones, by appearing out of her mirror. He apparently opened a portal in her mirror and tried to abduct Marlo through it. Luckily, the mirror was shattered by Phyla, the sister of Captain Marvel. Magus again attacked at the apartment of Marlo Jones. This time however, he found and gravely wounded Moondragon, after entering the apartment through a telephone. Magus offered to heal Moondragon if she admitted she was afraid to die and wanted to be saved. She did so, and the Magus healed her with a kiss on her cheek, apparently mentally enslaving her in the process.

Magus appeared once more to antagonize Genis, this time with the aide of Genis' own son, pulled out of time from the future and corrupted. Genis only managed to defeat his son by willing himself to kill him while he was still an infant, and while this has not yet occurred in Genis' timeline, he apparently would truly follow through with it as the decision wiped his son's older self out of existence.[citation needed]

Cancerverse

To prevent the expansion of the Fault and thus save his universe, Adam Warlock cast a spell to graft his unanchored timeline onto the only inert timestream with a stable, quiescent future he was aware of: Earth-7528; and while he was able to stop the Fault from spreading, Warlock was left in a weakened state, which prompted the Magus to take over his body.[2]

Some of the Guardians of the Galaxy were sent back in time to stop this from happening by Kang the Conquerer, who warned that all possible futures were becoming futures dominated by the Magus before giving them a Cosmic Cube to assist in their mission. Star-Lord attempted to talk Adam into controlling his dark side, but failed. After a battle with the Magus and the apparent deaths of Mantis and Cosmo, Star-Lord was able to revert Adam temporarily with the Cube. But the Magus could not be stopped, forcing Star-Lord to end Adam's life at his own request.[21]

But this was all a trick. Having used most of his power to stop the Fault from expanding, the Magus knew he could not defeat the Guardians as long as they possessed a Cosmic Cube. So, the Magus faked the deaths of the Guardians he killed and himself, sneaking away and reviving himself with the Church's belief fonts. Having the members he 'killed' captured, he had his men torture them until they follow only the Magus, revealing that he plans to unleash the dark rulers of the Fault and make the universe like the Cancerverse of the Fault.[citation needed]

Using the severed head of the Comtemplator, Magus located the Soul Gem and planned to track down the other Infinity Stones to use their combined power to reshape the universe in his image; however, he was ambushed by Ultron/Hank Pym and killed.[22]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

According to Quasar, the Magus is the universal counterbalance to Adam Warlock and exists as his negative, dark half. Because of this, he possess all the substantial power of Warlock himself.[23]

Avatar of Life: Originally destined to become the Avatar of Life by the In-Betweener, the Magus was designated as the Avatar of life by the aforementioned entities in order to oppose the then-Avatar of Death, Thanos, and keep a cosmic balance between life and death Although it succeeded for a time, the Magus's future was changed and he lost this status.[3] After re-inserting the inactive timeline involving the Magus, Adam was officially recognized as Earth-616's Avatar of Life again. In turn, the Magus's reappearance had designated him as so also.[2]

Summoning: The first iteration of Magus was capable of once summoning the In-Betweener by saturating his past counterpart in a harmless special radiation that acted as a beacon. It is unknown if this capability can only be done via the Soul Gem or that being an Avatar of Life allowed it to be possible.[5]

Superhuman Conditioning: As the dark half of of Adam Warlock, the Magus possess all the physical capabilities and abilities of Adam Warlock prior to his most recent ressurection.[2] Formerly, his first incarnation was capable of possessing super strength that was sufficient enough to defeat Thanos in personal combat while his second incarnation, born from Warlock's splitting his good and evil self after possessing the Infinity Gauntlet, possessed Class 10 strength, supersonic flight speed, regeneration, enhanced human stamina, reflexes, and agility, and superhuman durability. His latest resurrection (at it is peak maturity), was at a level in which made him capable of easily defeating Gamora in physical combat and resilient enough to withstand Drax the Destroyer's blow that killed Thanos.[21]

Energy Manipulation: Within all his incarnations, the Magus was an extremely capable and adept energy manipulator. Like Adam Warlock, this owed thanks to his unique biology.[24]

Sorcery: Being a "Cosmic Sorcerer" in his second incarnation, Moondragon remarked that the Magus is a rather powerful magician and as such, can command magic for a variety of He is capable of teleportation, creating portal through other objects such as a mirror, and projecting his own arm through devices such as a telephone, time traveling, and vast healing powers in which could heal Moondragon from a fatal wound in an instant.[25][26][26]

Lifeforce Absorption: After escaping from Soul World, the Magus had a wraith-like form. He appeared with a semi-solid head and trunk, with his lower body as an ethereal stream. Physical attacks like Captain Marvel's photonic blasts simply passed through him. In this form, the Magus could steal the "life essence" of sentient beings to augment his power and return him to full physical existence. The Magus could also project psychic blasts capable of harming Captain Marvel.

Shapesshifting: The Magus was capable of easily shapeshifting himself to impersonate Starfox.[27]

Quantum Magic: His recent resurrection allows him to use the full might of Quantum Magic, a power developed to stop the expansion of the Fault. Like Adam Warlock, he's capable of various feats such as enchantments, transmutations, conjurations, closing space rifts, and magical energy projection. His powers can be rejuvenated and powered by raw magic energy and souls.[21][28]

Time Manipulation: After his resurrection, his Quantum Magic allowed him to manipulate time even furter. He was able to overshadow the timeline of Earth-616 and render all futures in which he himself ruled in the end according to Kang the Conqueror.[21]

Reality Transmutation: The Magus is capable of transmuting reality itself to create realistic illusions. He was able to fool the Guardians of the Galaxy into thinking he was killed by Star-Lord.[29]

Cosmic Powers: His body was made-up of certain cosmic energy receptive cells. He could manipulate cosmic energy for a variety of uncatalogued effects. By tapping into his own stores of cosmic energy, he could achieve Class 50 strength and warp flight speed.[citation needed] In his prime, the Magus possessed vast cosmic power. He could also become intangible, teleport and create teleportation portals to accommodate an army. During the Infinity War, the Magus possessed these powers, but probably to a lesser degree, as he was laid low by energy blasts from Dr. Doom. By this time he no longer possessed his soul gem.

Ultra Senses: Possessing both cosmic awareness and mystic senses, the Magus is an extremely perceptive individual. He is capable of conversing with one with Cosmic Awareness as well as being able to sense attempts at changes in his timeline. Kang the Conqueror remarked that had he tried changing the timeline to stop the Magus's influence directly, he would have sensed it. Unknown to him, however, it seemed that his senses proved even more acute, as he was seemingly aware of his subtle entirely.[30]

Psionic: Whether done with magic or his own will, the Magus possessed powerful telepathic powers in each of his incarnations. He proved capable of being able to mentally enslave Moondragon unknown to herself in his second incarnation.[31] His most recent resurrection, despite not being fully mature, was capable of taking over 30% of the Earth's population after tapping into the power of the belief font[32] as well as having the willpower to take over Gladiator's body.[32]

Abilities

The Magus possess all of the abilities of Adam Warlock and is a capable hand-to-hand combatant and fighter. He displayed skill in swordsmanship and was able to defeat both Gamora, a master martial artist ans assassin, and Phyla-Vell in combat with ease and was capable of using Captain America's Shield.[21] Like Warlock, he is most likely also a accomplished philosopher, possess a high intellect, and is an occult expert.

Strength level

At first he possessed Class 10 strength, by tapping into his own stores of cosmic energy, he could achieve Class 50 strength. In his prime he possessed superhuman strength (above Class 100) and cosmic energy powers sufficient to defeat pre-resurrection Thanos in personal combat.[citation needed] His recent resurrection's strength level is equal to that of Adam Warlock prior to his recent resurrection.

Weaknesses

During Earthfall, the Magus was revived by the Universal Church of Truth prematurely and rendered himself into a childlike body, temporarily weakening his own powers.[23]

Former Weaknesses

The Magus's second incarnation had minimal experience in hand-to-hand combat. However, his third incarnation has given him shared knowledge and experiences of his good counterpart. Adam Warlock.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Former Equipment

Infinity Stones: He also briefly possessed the power of five of the Infinity Gems, granting virtually unlimited abilities to manipulate Mind, Power, Soul, Space, and Time. By an edict of Eternity, the gems cannot be used in combined fashion unless he/it wills otherwise.